The Earth is a small, isolated planet in a very dark cosmos, protected
by a very thin atmospheric layer: I can vouch for that, having seen it myself from space.
The atmosphere, water, and other resources are not infinite and we must learn to manage
them in the best way possible.

French astronaut
Claudie André-Deshays
speaking to young scientists at the encounter

Some 140 teenagers and their science teachers met scientists of a
worldwide reputation at a unique International Encounter. Aged 1418, the students
who gathered at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris came from 31 countries, from Fiji to Brazil,
from South Africa to Lithuania. An equal number of boys and girls participated. The
Encounter was organized by the UNESCO Science Sector and the Associated Schools Project
network (ASPnet) in the Education Sector, in close cooperation with the French and Polish
National Commissions for UNESCO, the French High Committee for the 100th
Anniversary of the Discovery of Radioactivity, an organizing committee of distinguished
scholars and a number of prestigious partners too numerous to detail here.

Unique as it was, this was no isolated encounter. It marked the launch
of UNESCO's 'Future Scientists' campaign, a new and vital initiative to mobilize young
people, especially girls, to pursue scientific studies and careers. The event thus
provided a blueprint for future actions, both on a local and global scale.

It is vital to encourage young people, especially girls, to pursue
scientific studies and careers. The 'Future Scientists' Paris Encounter did this by
providing role models to inspire and provide examples; whether from the past (Pierre and
Marie Curie) or the present (astronaut Claudie André-Deshays and physicist Christopher
Llewellyn-Smith).

Dialogue between young people and eminent scientists took place during
the Paris meeting, at the six workshops and on field trips to places of scientific
interest. Their exchanges emphasized the importance of the ethical and humanistic
applications of science. A Science and Society exhibition of material
contributed by Associated Schools was also mounted. To sow the seeds of international
cooperation among future scientists, the young participants were given the opportunity to
learn together  and from each other  and share social and cultural activities.
The Declarationthe young people presented to
UNESCOs Director-General, Federico Mayor, at the end of the meeting showed great
maturity and a firm commitment to the ideals of dialogue, ethics and solidarity.

A menu of six workshops gave young people an unique
opportunity to discuss major issues of science and society with top scientists from a
variety of disciplines. If ideas generated energy, as one observer remarked, then the
brainstorming that went on at the workshops generated a power supply all of its own:

From genetic engineering to space exploration, from the pros and cons
of radioactivity to protecting the worlds water supply, scientists and other experts
covered as many aspects of these topics as possible while encouraging participation by the
young people and their teachers. Having presented different facets of each issue, they
then answered questions and engaged in discussions.

The centenary of the discovery of radioactivity offered an ideal
opportunity to take a fresh look at its applications and responsible use. Young people
present at the radioactivity workshop were curious, desired to be better informed and
regretted that this issue was studied so little in school. They pondered the positive and
negative aspects of medical, military and agricultural applications of radioactivity and
observed that the media rarely, if ever, discussed the positive aspects. Nuclear waste and
its disposal was a pressing issue, as were the risks involved in nuclear accidents,
symbolized by Chernobyl which awakened the world to the dangers of this technology. But
young Ukranians from Chernobyl present at the radioactivity workshop warned against an
alarmist attitude which engendered fear.

With the agreement that radioactivity knows no frontiers,
ethics emerged as the dominant theme of the radioactivity workshop. The element of risk,
whether chosen or imposed, was also debated, with the consensus that needs had to be
balanced against risks in the perspective of sustainable development. One participant
pointed out that the building of dams in Burkina Faso to cope with water shortages obliged
its neighbour, Côte dIvoire, to build nuclear power stations in order to have an
independent power supply.

Interdisciplinary teaching was seen as important, so that young people
could understand the ´real problems of society and their implications for science,
and have a clearer idea of the scientists role. Participants deplored the gap
between education and real life.

Recommendations ranged from finding a positive use for the
energy generated by nuclear waste to using nuclear detection techniques to find water and
increasing vigilance in the international community, as prevention of nuclear accidents
was an international responsibility. Above all, not to succumb to post-Chernobyl
radiophobia.

The need to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions
emerged as a major preoccupation. Participants felt that new technologies urgently needed
to be developed to replace polluting technologies, and that only science could
solve this problem by developing alternative, non-polluting means of
transport, for example. Societies must be more educated when dealing with
ecology, remarked one participant. Then they can persuade governments to
reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Education was seen as the key to preventing
or limiting climatic change: whether young children (we should educate young
children about these problems earlier), women (if more women were educated
about ecology, they could pass it on to their children) or older students, who, it
was suggested, could help to collect scientifically valid data to be used in a worldwide
initiative to monitor changes in climate.

Recommendations included a global system to monitor, control and
reduce greenhouse gases and CO2 emissions, increased recycling in
order to reduce the amount of waste, awareness-raising of climate and ecology issues
through education and developing cheaper, cleaner technologies to generate energy.

From a unanimous no to human clones to an attempt at
defining the responsibility of the scientist, no stone was left unturned in the genetics
and health workshop, which also examined the role of science in general. The idea of
cloning humans was rejected from a human rights point of view. Among the dangers of such a
development was the possibility that human beings would come to be treated as
objects and the risk that the technique would be used to favour certain ethnic
groups and exclude others. However, the cloning of organs or cells could have benefits for
individuals and society as long as it caused no harm. The responsibility of the scientist
was evoked with the words no responsibility without freedom. It was felt that
the role of the scientist should be discussed in more depth at roundtables with ethics
experts. The discussion also embraced the technology gap between North and South, and
generated ideas to redress the balance.

The need to popularize science was another theme of this workshop which
favoured practical, down-to-earth solutions, such as making science more accessible
through the creation of poles of scientific information or databases, reducing
the technology gap between North and South by organizing networks to share scientific
knowledge using fax, Internet and e-mail, raising awareness of the importance of science
for development and, lastly, improving the quality of science education in developing
countries. And above all, opposing the cloning of human beings.

Participants discussed the impact of physics, chemistry and biology on
medicine, notably in the eradication of diseases. There was some speculation on what
further progress could be anticipated in the near future, and how efficacious but costly
new technologies could be made accessible to more people.

Participants recommended that combatting new diseases and
pollution whenever scientifically possible be priorities for the scientific community.

The Big Bang theory and the increasing amount of space
debris were among the subjects evoked in wide-ranging exchanges at the universe and space
(particle physics) workshop which also touched on philosophy, cosmology and the Greek
myths. The story of the universe, past, present and future, was a logical starting point,
although the Big Bang theory about the origins of the universe got a sceptical
reception as too simplistic and lacking in proof. It is a commonplace that the universe is
expanding. But, participants wondered, was it really infinite and, if not, what would
happen? It was agreed that observation and experimentation were never more necessary than
today.

From questions like what? and how?, it was only
a short step to why? and the workshop entered the realm of philosophy and
cosmology.

Participants recommended that young people all over the world be
educated about the benefits and risks of space research. Other ideas included pooling the
resources of all countries in order to advance such research, and protecting the earth
from internal and external threats, such as the collision of satellites and space debris
and legislating to inform all countries about the dangers. For a workshop on space, there
were some surprisingly down-to-earth conclusions. After all,' one participant
remarked, ours is still the only planet in the solar system where life as we know it
can be sustained. Life on earth therefore needs stable conditions: preserve air and
water, the earths most precious resources, reduce pollution, preserve plant and
animal life in the ecosystem.

The new telecommunication tools (television, portable telephones,
Internet, etc.) should, in theory, help develop international understanding, agreed
participants at the global communication workshop. But as these technologies were confined
mainly to the industrialized countries, the gap between North and South seemed regrettably
as wide as ever. Participants expressed the hope that these tools would soon be made
available to enable the poorer countries to catch up by leapfrogging
technology. Students could then have access to scientific and technological knowledge
through Internet.

Participants showed a thirst for information about a
resource that is vital but inequitably distributed. The spectre of running out of water
altogether was evoked. Participants sought answers to questions such as: how are our water
resources evolving? how are they being replenished as the seasons go by? They discussed
the social, ecological and economic stakes involved in the politics of water, and ideas on
how it could be managed on a sustainable basis as a common heritage, as well as how the
species that live in it could be preserved.

ASPnet, which links some 5,500 schools in 160 countries around the
world, is concerned with carrying out pilot projects and experimental activities to
promote a culture of peace. Visit its website at http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/asp.

A representative committee of students from different parts of the
world met, summarized the major issues debated at the Paris International Encounter,
Future Scientists  New Frontiers: Women and Men (2229 April 1998), and
drafted the following Declaration, which was approved by the other young participants
before being presented to the Director-General of UNESCO.

Director-General,

The hopes of the young people gathered here reside in UNESCO. We ask
the Organization to mobilize all its potential and technical expertise to help our actions
obtain results.

As education is the basis of knowledge, it should be equally available
to boys and girls. Students should be motivated to choose scientific subjects through
university scholarships, which should be increasing, not decreasing. Teaching should be
adapted to the needs of society. Scientific awareness should begin at primary-school level
and interdisciplinary studies at secondary-school level.

Internet should reduce the gap between North and South. By financing
access to, and training in, Internet in libraries in the South, the North could then rise
to the challenge of globalization.

Since science has unlimited power, an international code of ethics
should be established without delay, notably to explain the risks inherent in
radioactivity and genetic engineering. Consumers have the right to know if the products
they buy have been genetically modified.

As water and air are vital to public health, the countries of the North
should help the countries of the South to fight pollution and preserve these precious
resources.

As citizens of the earth, we should all be aware of the fragility of
our planet. A world awareness-raising campaign should be organized, based essentially on
UNESCOs Associated Schools Project network. UNESCO should also establish an
International Scientific and Cultural Committee for Youth.